30 Day Writing Challenge
by Angelblood666
Summary: My entries to the 30 Day Writing Challenge in the Hey Arnold! Creative Ideas group posted by my wonderful Beta, darkangel1326. Rating has changed from K plus to T.
1. Ripped Apart

**Challenge 1: Ripped Apart**

I stared at the paper on my desk, wondering what to say to him. Maybe that I missed him, or that I wished he was here again, or that I haven't stopped thinking about him since he left. Would I write about my intense hatred and love for his choice to leave?

What about how Miriam is still drinking and had to go to the hospital from alcohol poisoning yesterday? Or how Bob lost all his money in the stock market and we're bankrupt? What about the fact that I haven't eaten because we can't afford it or that Miriam keeps forgetting to go get our stamps?

Why should I write to that stupid football-head? He knew how I felt, yet he still left me. I miss him, but I can't write that. I'll probably seem pathetic to him.

I wish my heart would heal. How this fragile shell I have built for years would simply come back up and I could act normal again. I hate missing him. I hate being ripped apart. I wish things went back to how they used to be, with me scowling and pretending to hate him. How he would be frustrated and just ignore me, only for me to hit him again with another spit ball.

"I wish everything was back to normal. I wish you were here." I thought to myself. I picked up my pen, determined to tell him how much I missed him. I wrote,

"Dear Arnold,"


	2. Over The Rainbow

**This one was harder, as I'm using just minor characters. However, I am hoping to stay within character for them for when they DO show up in the show.**

**Please don't be afraid to review on the STORY. Any reviews not about the story will be deleted if not ignored, as everyone's views are different and I respect yours, so please extend the same courtesy to me.**

**Challenge 2: Over The Rainbow**

Every day was a special day. But today was extra special, because today was the day Peter and I announced our intentions to my family. I was extremely nervous because I know my family is, chaotic. They argue and fight against each other, but hopefully they will set aside their differences for today.

Peter and I sat on the couch together, waiting for Mom, Uncle Chuck, and Joy to arrive so we could make the announcement. The clock ticked, then tocked, and then ticked again. Peter tapped his foot, impatient with my family as we waited. The clock chimed 4 times.

4:00 pm. The time I had asked for everyone to arrive. Peter looked at the door, a frown creased on his face. I patted his arm, trying to calm him down.

"Don't worry Peter, just have a little patience. I'm sure everyone will be here soon."

"Well your mother never has been punctual, now has she? She arrives late to everything. Need I remind you of last Thanksgiving?" Peter snarled angrily. He and Mom had never been on each other's good sides. I sighed, not sure what to say when the door opened.

Pearl, or Mom, walked in first, followed by Uncle Chuck, holding a bucket of chicken. Joy followed behind, a somber look on her face as she closed the door behind her. I smiled nervously and rose to greet my mother and uncle. Peter stayed on the couch, his arms crossed.

"Mom, Uncle Chuck, Joy" I said as I greeted each guest. "It's so wonderful that you can join us for this special occasion." I sat down next to Peter as everyone took a seat.

I felt my nerves climb as I spoke, "Well, I have something special to share with everyone. I have finally decided now is the time for me to say this, and Peter is beside me every step of the way."

I looked at Peter for support, but he tried to stare down my mother, something I had hoped wouldn't happen since he knew how hard this was already without additional tension. My mother finally turned away and looked at me.

"Well darling, what is it you could need?" Uncle Chuck stopped mid-bite and looked between Peter and me. He sat the bucket down and finally focused on the conversation. Joy continued to look neutral, however I was glad all the same she was here.

I gulped and finally said it. "Well, I have decided to tell you all that I… I am gay."

My mother gasped and brought her hands to her mouth, Uncle Chuck's eyes grew wide at my unexpected declaration, and Joy's mouth turned up slightly in a smile.

I was afraid of what they would say, especially my mother, but I pressed on. "And Peter and I have decided to take our special relationship to the next level. We are planning on getting married."

Pearl lowered her hands and glared at Peter, outrage obvious on her face.

"WHAT! I can't believe that you have never told me, Robert! And that's why you always brought, _him…_" she pointed at Peter, "why he was always here whenever we gathered together. I should have known. Why wouldn't you tell me Robert?" She shot daggers at Peter.

Peter jumped up from the couch and shouted back, "Well, if you ever had shown any respect for me rather than being almost savagely, then I would have tried to get along with you, _Pearl_." My mother advanced toward Peter, but I wasn't going to allow them to lose control.

I stepped between them and directed myself toward Peter first.

"Peter, please. Remember what we talked about earlier?" Peter sighed, and he nodded his head. He hung his head and sat back down onto the couch. I turned toward my mother.

"Now Pearl, I need you to please be civil. You all are my family, my tribe. I need you all to stick together. For me." My mother's expression softened, then she gave me a hug. I promptly returned it to her, and then Uncle Chuck spoke up.

"Why haven't you told us before, eh?"

I broke apart from Pearl and said, "Because I was afraid of what you guys would say, that you would reject that part of me. I wanted to make the announcement special, and I wanted you all to not think any differently of me."

Mom grabbed me by the shoulders. "Of course we wouldn't, Robby. We still love you, and…" she addressed the last part to Peter, "and I will try harder to be kinder to you two."

I looked back at Peter, just in time to see his expression soften. He nodded and softly said, "I will try. For Robert."

Uncle Chuck agreed, and I pulled everyone into group hug, finally relieved to be in the open about myself.

Joy was squished between Mom and Uncle Chuck, but we could still hear her as she asked, "So, does that mean we still have to come together for Thanksgiving?"


	3. Fiery Eyes, Fragile Heart

**Whoo! Grandpa is HARD to write as, for me at least. Enjoy the story, but first…**

**Shout out to Lyco-Rogue, for making the document Timeline: The Life of Grandpa Phil. I used it to help out with this story/challenge/drabble, whatever you call it. I once again bow to your greatness, and thanks for unintentionally helping me out. :)**

**Challenge 3: Fiery Eyes, Fragile Heart**

As far as I can remember, I have always had that woman right beside me. When we were kids, she picked on me so much, but it turned out she only did that because she actually liked me. We spent so much time together after she finally let the cat out of the bag, but I never loved her back.

Soon I had to go to war. WWII had begun. I didn't think about her at all, for the chance that I wouldn't ever come back was large. I knew the risk, but I still continued on. I brought victory to the Allies, and after many ceremonies and celebrations that the war was finally over, I was discharged.

I finally was able to return to Hillwood. Gertie and I finally saw each other again, and out of pure instinct, I asked her out to dinner to celebrate my return. Amazingly, she agreed and our date rapidly approached.

She was still the same little girl I had grown up with, the fire in her eyes still blazing with life. We caught up with each other after so long, and then a surprise singer came on stage. He was a young man, but no one knew who he was at the time. To this day I still remember the dance Gertie and I shared as Dino Spumoni sang at the Circle Theater. On that night, we reconnected and once again became inseparable.

The years flew by as I began working, and still Gertie and I grew stronger and stronger with each passing day. I finally worked up the courage to marry her, and she gladly said yes. Our wedding was the best I could remember. She, of course, had already planned the whole thing out and was simply waiting for me to say the word, or words.

Our wedding day was spectacular, and so began our lives together. We ran the boarding house together. The days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and soon months into a few years. Our love still grew and grew until we decided we were ready.

I still remember the day Miles was born, it brought so much joy to our lives to finally have a child. We watched as our son grew up into the man we were proud of, and Gertie spoiled the boy. One would think she finally found the one thing in this world she loved more than me.

When we found out about Stella, Pookie and I were so happy to see our son start a family of his own. Oftentimes, she would speak of being grandparents. I could still see the young girl inside of her, just shaking with anticipation and hope.

Sure enough, she turned out right, and little Arnold was welcomed into our lives. Miles and Stella decided to return to Hillwood, and we welcomed them back with open arms. Gertie and I were so happy, we often couldn't express it, even to each other.

But then, that day came.

Miles and Stella decided to leave to help out the Green Eyed People tribe. Arnold was to stay in our care until they returned. They said that that day would be soon.

That day, Gertie lost that fire. Her heart became so fragile, and I think she began to lose a little of her mind. She changed, to the point that it scared me and I didn't know what to do. However, I knew one thing. The return of our son might be that spark that reignites her. Because I know she misses them so much.

And I miss my Gertie.


	4. Miracle

**Challenge 4: Miracle**

Nadine ran off the bus, her hair bouncing as she rushed up the stairs of P.S 118. Today was going to be the best day in the history of P.S 118, at least to Nadine. She had waited day by day for this event, almost babying her project until it finally was ready.

Today was the day their science projects were due. And today was the day Nadine would finally show off her butterfly. She hoped that she would get an A for her notes and presentation, plus maybe show something pretty cool to class for once.

Cradling her jar, she entered the building and walked the halls to find Rhonda. She knew she could tell Rhonda all about her amazing butterfly, since butterflies weren't gross, disgusting, slimy, creepy, or anything else that Rhonda hated about bugs.

And this butterfly was a special one, not even seen by Nadine until a few months ago.

It was a beautiful _Talicada nyseus_, or Red Pierrot butterfly. It was not native to Hillwood, or even the United States. It only lived in Asia and the Himalayas, feeding off of a plant called the _Kalanchoe_, a native garden plant in Asia. Nadine had specifically ordered one from Mrs. Vitelo, and when her plant arrived a week later, the larvae of the butterfly were growing and eating the leaves.

Instead of being upset however, Nadine was amazed and delighted. She immediately knew what caterpillars they were, and was excited to study them as they grew. The weeks passed, and occasionally she saw a caterpillar change leaves, amazed at its yellow color and the white bristles along its body before it disappeared into another leaf.

When her caterpillars came to the surface and wove their cocoons, Nadine almost squealed with delight. Rhonda had not enjoyed seeing the cocoons, but Nadine loved them and coveted them. Then she had an idea. The science projects was coming up soon. She could use one of the butterflies as a study. With her research of their life cycle, she might be able to get an A. With this idea, she took her measurements and observations of the caterpillars to Mr. Simmons. He had praised her special eye and spirit of raising the bugs, and had agreed that she could use them in her science project.

And today was finally the day. Her beautiful butterfly had come out of its cocoon just last night, and Nadine had caught it in the morning flying close to the ground around her room. Now, all she needed to do was keep it safe until the science fair.

That shouldn't be too difficult, right?

Nadine entered Mr. Simmons' classroom and saw Rhonda brushing her hair at her desk.

Nadine jogged to her side and said, "Look Rhonda," she put the jar on the desk in front of her friend; "it's my science project. The _Talicada nyseus _butterfly. Isn't it beautiful?"

Rhonda glanced at the butterfly, it's wings closed to reveal the white with black polka dot pattern on the wing and black with white polka dots along the rim of the wings. A small area on the bottom of each wing was a dark red.

Rhonda stopped brushing for a second to scoff.

"Who cares about a butterfly, Nadine? Silly thing," she waved at the butterfly. "It's just a bug. No one cares about such disgusting creatures."

Nadine was hurt that Rhonda would say that. Rhonda continued brushing her hair, oblivious to the pain she had caused to Nadine. She took her jar back into her hands and sat down in her seat, staring at the butterfly, watching it open and close it's wings as class began.

The hours flew by as lunch time came. All the students rushed out of the class to go grab lunch and play at recess. Nadine became the star of the playground as everyone gathered around her to take a glance at her butterfly. It flew around from hand to hand, landing gracefully on the fingers of the excited kids. Everyone giggled when the butterfly crawled along their fingers and palms, only to fly away to another student.

When the bell rang, Nadine collected the butterfly and set the cap on top of the jar. Rhonda called for her to come inside for class. As Nadine ran inside, she came beside Eugene and they entered the building. Suddenly, maybe by accident or by his jinxed luck, Eugene tripped and fell, grabbing onto Nadine for support. She was dragged down with him, the jar slipping from her hands and rolling down the hallway.

Nadine shouted for the jar to stop and for someone to grab it, but neither was possible. The hallway was empty of students except for her, Eugene, and Rhonda; and the jar rolled further away. Nadine jumped up and chased after the jar, hoping to catch up to it before class started.

She reached the jar at the end of the hallway and picked it up. But the cap was gone, and so was the butterfly. Nadine frantically shook her head left and right, looking for her butterfly in the hallway. She crawled along the floor under the water fountains and near every door and crevice, but it was nowhere to be found.

Sulking, she returned to the class, the jar tucked under her arm as tears came out of her eyes. Eugene asked her where the butterfly was, but Nadine could only shake her head. She plopped into her seat and put her head down, crying over the misplacement of the best insect she had ever seen or owned.

Eugene patted her shoulder, saying he was sorry about it and that maybe they could still find it before the science fair. Nadine wasn't so sure, but she appreciated his effort. Arnold piped up to her that he and everyone else could look for it before they started. Nadine cheered up a little as the class nodded in agreement. Well, everyone but Rhonda.

Mr. Simmons quickly went through the day's English and Math lessons. When it came to Science, he called the students one by one to present their projects to the class. Nadine raised her hand and Mr. Simmons called on her.

"Mr. Simmons, could we go out in the hall to look for my Red Pierrot butterfly? It escaped during recess and I couldn't find it on my own. It's my project, so would that be alright if we searched for it?"

Mr. Simmons nodded. "Yes Nadine, I'm sure we could do that. All right class," he announced to everyone; "let's all form a line and search the hallway for Nadine's butterfly. If you find it, please notify myself or Nadine and we will capture it."

Everyone got up, eager for any delay to the presentations they were supposed to give. Nadine led the way into the hallway, and the search began.

Everyone searched and searched, but no butterfly was found by any of the students. Mr. Simmons had to call off the search, or else risk missing the entire session and all the presentations. Everyone groaned in dismay, but no one was as disheartened as Nadine.

She volunteered to go first, and stood before the class with her notebook of observations and notes about the Red Pierrot.

"Well, my project was about the _Talicada nyseus_, or the Red Pierrot butterfly. It only lives in Asia, and it's food is the _Kalanchoe _plant. The mother butterfly lays it's eggs inside of the leaves," she showed a diagram she had drawn of the plant and a mother landing on top of a leaf; "and the eggs remain in the leaves until they hatch. Once they do, they eat the leaves and grow, never coming up except to crawl to another leaf." She turned the page and described the caterpillar to the class and it's life cycle.

Quite a bit of the class paid attention to her presentation. It might have been because they felt sorry for her, or maybe they wanted to learn a little more about the butterfly. The only one who wasn't paying attention was Eugene, who curiously was looking around the floor for his pencil he had dropped. As he bent back up, he saw the butterfly sitting on Helga's shoe.

He stood and said, "NADINE! NADINE! The butterfly is on Helga's foot." Everyone looked at Helga, and Nadine stopped speaking. Helga looked down and saw that Eugene was right.

Nadine was suddenly really quiet and serious. "Helga. Don't. Move." She grabbed her jar off of her desk and held out her hand. The butterfly shifted on Helga's foot and then flew onto Nadine's hand. She placed the butterfly inside the jar and closed the lid.

Everyone cheered, and Nadine held up the jar, displaying the Red Pierrot for everyone to see.

"It's a miracle it's not hurt," thought Nadine. Her face was shining with a smile as she passed the jar around the class and finished her presentation.

It was the best experience for Nadine, and she ended up having the best presentation of the class. She walked home with her head up high, excited to know her butterfly was all right and proud that they had found it again.


	5. Spellbound

**Challenge 5: Spellbound**

BRRRRRIIIINNNNGGGG!

The bell rang loudly, its shrill sound echoing the halls and classrooms to signal the end of another school day. Students ran, squeezed, and pushed their way out the front door, all eager to get home. Harold walked down the stairs with Stinky and Sid, the boys all anxious to leave school.

Stinky said, "I'm going to the arcade and hang out all afternoon. What are y'all fellers gonna do?"

Sid answered, "I'm going to the pond with Sidney and splash around with the other frogs." Sid turned to Harold as they hopped to the bottom of the stairs. "What are you going to do, Harold?"

"I'm going to work at Green Meats for the afternoon," bragged Harold to his friends as they began to walk down the street.

"Boy howdy, that's sounds cool," Sid said with enthusiasm.

"Gee wilikers Harold, that's purty cool that you got's yourself a job. You get to earn money," started Stinky.

"And use the cash register," added Sid.

"And be around meat all day," finished Stinky. "It must be an easy job for you Harold."

Harold laughed, then said, "You know it is. I could probably run the butcher shop all by myself." They reached the door and display window to Green Meats, and Harold said goodbye to his friends. He opened the door to the shop, and took a DEEP breath.

The shop smelled of filet mignon, T-bone steaks, sausage, ham, and every other kind of meat one could even begin to imagine. He was spellbound with the shop, and he never would wish to work anywhere else. Harold lifted the shelf that separated the counter and went into the back room, not seeing his boss anywhere. He grabbed his apron and replaced his cap with his white worker's hat. He washed his hands and dried them off, finally good to go.

He yelled out, "Mr. Green, I'm ready for today's work. Is there anything I can start on?" But no answer came from anywhere in the shop. Harold wondered where Mr. Green was. He checked around the back room and in the freezer, both empty of his boss. As he closed the door to the freezer, he noticed a note addressed to him. He took it off the door and read it.

_Harold,_

_I have left to collect some important papers for the shop. I will be gone for a little while, and you are to be in charge of the shop while I'm gone._

_There is supposed to be a shipment of meat to arrive sometime this afternoon. Please make sure to put the meat away and to watch over the shop while I'm gone. If any customers show up, take care of them._

_This is important Harold, and I am counting on you to NOT screw this up. Remember what I've taught you and THINK before you do something._

_Mr. Green_

Harold dropped the note, stunned. HE was now in charge of the shop! He jumped into the air, cheering. He knew this was a huge responsibility, but he knew he could do it. Harold burst into the front of the shop and stood behind the counter. His newly received power rushed through him, making him jittery and unable to stand still.

To take his mind off waiting, he rushed to the back of the shop to check for a delivery truck. When he found none, he raced back to the front of the shop. No customers were waiting.

The minutes ticked by slowly, with no sign of any customers or deliveries. Harold soon became bored, and tried to find something to occupy his time.

He whined. "This isn't fun! I'm SOOOOOOOO BORRRRRED! And I'm starting to get hungry." Suddenly a customer came in. He sat up and fixed his hat. He spoke up, "Welcome to Green Meats! I'm Harold, how can I help you?"

The woman in front of Harold was of medium height, had glasses, shoulder length blonde hair, and seemed to forget why she came into the shop in the first place. She looked familiar, but Harold couldn't remember who she was. The woman approached the counter and said, "Umm. I'd liiiike, no. B said he wanted some steak for dinnnnner. So I guess I'll, no. I'll get some of that." She finally pointed to some T-bones. Harold reached in and grabbed 3 steaks and wrapped them up. He put the amount into the register and the price flashed onto the monitor.

The woman grabbed below her shoulder, only to reach air. She looks and says, "Ohhh, silly me. I must have forgotten my purse at home. Could I just pick those up later?"

"I guess. I'll keep them aside for you," answered Harold. The woman left the store, only for 2 more to replace her. Harold was excited to finally be able to do some work. But soon the shop filled with customers, everyone demanding Harold's attention and wanting their order immediately. Harold found himself overwhelmed, and he struggled to keep up.

"Oh, I don't want to run the shop anymore. I wish Mr. Green came soon." The door opened again, and in came Mr. Green in a suit and tie. He came to the front. Harold had never been more excited to see him.

"Well, I see we have a meat rush, huh Harold? Let's get to work." Mr. Green called everyone's attention and asked for their patience as he got ready. After a few grumbles, the small crowd calmed down a little, and Mr. Green changed into his uniform.

Harold and Mr. Green were able to subdue and disperse the crowd with their orders, and Harold took a moment to check the back. The delivery truck had just pulled in, and Harold collected, inspected, and signed for the food. He placed it in the freezer in the proper places while Mr. Green watched with pride.

When he was done, Harold called to Mr. Green, "I'll see you tomorrow Mr. Green." As he opened the door, Mr. Green called him back inside.

"How did you like watching the shop Harold?"

Harold was unsure how to answer. A moment of silence fell. Then he cleared his throat and said, "I thought it was too much for me Mr. Green. I don't think I can run it by myself, not yet."

Mr. Green nodded. He replied, "Well Harold, I have to say. You seemed to do a pretty good job while I was gone. The place is still standing after all," joked Mr. Green. Harold laughed a little, and then said, "What important papers did you need to collect for the shop, Mr. Green?"

Mr. Green smiled. "Well actually Harold, that is exactly why I called you back inside." He reached into his apron pocket and pulled out a key. He tossed the key to Harold. "Running the shop for your first time was my little initiation. You no longer are my apprentice. You've 'graduated', so to speak."

Harold's eyes lit up at his boss' words, but Mr. Green continued, "As such, I'm going to call on you to run the shop more often, and you will be in charge of closing it up sometimes. With these," Mr. Green pulled out some papers from his apron, "you are now an official employee of Green Meats. And when I retire…" Mr. Green smiled at the young boy. "you might take over the shop for me. If you want…" Mr. Green stopped talking as Harold tackled him into a bear hug.

Mr. Green stood for a moment, listening to Harold's excited thanks spill out of his mouth. He finally pulled Harold off of him, telling him to get on home.

Harold left the shop and once again jumped into the air cheering. He would take over the shop someday! He was finally a butcher! He ran all the way home to tell his mother the news, feeling unstoppable.


	6. Serenades In The Moonlight

**Challenge 6: Serenades In The Moonlight**

"I'm ever so sorry about last night, Helga" I apologized to Helga in homeroom. "We didn't mean to hurt your feelings or ignore you. I guess Olga and I just got caught up in our ever so wonderful song." I smiled at the back of Helga's head, hoping she would accept my apology.

Helga twisted to scowl at me, though I have no idea why. Olga and I were just ever so worried about her when we stopped serenading On Moonlight Bay and noticed she was gone. We looked all over the lake for her, but she was nowhere to be found. Olga hoped she was alright and we finished our sailing.

"I couldn't care less about you and _OLLLLGA_. But I wasn't going to sit there and listen to you two sing yourselves silly while I rowed around." I was uncertain why Helga would act like that. Then, I thought of something that ever so could be the reason.

"Helga? Are you jealous of me being with Olga?" I asked her.

"Of course not, I… I just…" stuttered Helga. She snarled and turned away. "I just think you two together are really annoying, that's all."

I sat in the desk next to her. "Are you ever so sure Helga? I'm ever so confused why you would be upset over me asking if you're jealous." I smiled at her, hoping to get to her.

I guess I did, because she sighed and her face became clear of emotion. Frowning slightly, she whispered just ever so softly, "I'm jealous of you being with Olga, Lila."

I smiled, just ever so glad that she had told me her true feelings. It reminded me of the last time she had done that. I giggled ever so slightly, and then I questioned her, "Why are you jealous of me and Olga, Helga?"

"Because you two just clicked the second you met and I've never been as close to my sister as you two have been, so I was jealous about how much fun you guys have been having and being together, so I tried to sabotage your good times." She took a breath after her long explanation. "It didn't work though; you always had some way to control the chaos I would set up."

I put my hand on hers, and she looked up at me. "I'm ever so sorry about making you jealous Helga." I smiled sincerely. I was sad that Helga would try to ruin my good times with Olga, but I understand why she did. And I forgive her for it, since no harm had ever come from it. Helga smiled slightly, and I got up and walked to my desk just as class was beginning to start.

I'm ever so glad Helga isn't upset anymore, and I hope she and Olga become closer.


	7. Vast Horizons

**All right, it's raining outside my house and it's depressing me. So, to cheer myself up and get a challenge done, why not write a little something that's fluffy? I like that idea, and hopefully you will too.**

**Challenge 7: Vast Horizons**

My eyes opened slowly, as if they were held down by weights. I yawned and sat up in my bed, the covers sliding silently off. Stretching and get out of bed slowly, I try not to wake my sleeping beauty beside me as I go into our kitchen. The hotel room is dimly lit from the early morning, the sun just beginning to creep over the beautiful horizon of Hawaii.

I add some water and coffee grinds to the coffee maker and turn off the timer, simply letting it brew as I pull back the curtains to the balcony. I smile and step outside, closing the door behind me. I look out at the scenery, taking in the entire image.

The beach was tranquil, not a person or animal all along the sand, the sound of the ocean waves rising and falling almost lazily. The wind blew softly on me, sending the salt-water smell deep into my nose and lightly chilling me. The water sparkled from the stars shining and the sun shone down, giving the image of an artist's watercolors mixing on the palette as blues, greens, dark reds, and oranges danced in the waves. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen, until the door opened again. I turned away from the vast horizon and looked upon the love of my life, my love.

Her blue nightgown and dark raven hair blew in the wind as she came to my side and hugged me deeply. I circled my arms around my new wife as she yawned and looked out at the scenery with me.

"I'm glad you chose Hawaii, Gerald. You were right, it is beautiful." I smiled at her compliment, but took her face into my hands.

Her eyes set on mine as I said, "The most beautiful thing is this world is anywhere you are." She smiled at my cheesy comment, but still. She did smile all the same. A content sigh escaped her and Phoebe and I went back inside to share some coffee, my sight not leaving her for a second.

I have never felt so calm and peaceful as I had when I looked out at the morning sun that day, because I wasn't seeing, smelling, or feeling the sights of Hawaii. I experienced something much deeper and much happier than that. I saw our lives mixing like the colors of the sea, becoming a beautiful work of art. I heard the sounds of little feet and laughter, and I smelled her perfume and conditioner. I felt her body close to mine, and tasted her kiss on my lips.

I experienced the future, our future together as husband and wife.


	8. If I Were You

**Giving advice from one love-sick fool to another. Helga & Curly try to help each other with their obsessions in their own ways.**

**Challenge 8: If I Were You**

Helga:

"If I were you, I would back off with your advances. She doesn't like the direct approach. Try backing off a little, give her space. Then be there for her when she is hurt or needs a friend, but don't barrage her or make her uncomfortable. She needs time to grow onto you."

_Curly:_

"_If I were you, I would tell him straight up. Tell him your love for him. Be honest and straight with him from the start. He doesn't want lies or indecision in your voice, that will confuse him even more and he won't believe you. When he knows you're there, shower him in affection, and he'll be yours."_

Helga:

"I can't be straight with him. What if he rejects me, or laughs, or doesn't believe me? I'll be exposed, and I won't be taken seriously in front of anyone again. I don't want my heart broken, or to be humiliated by everyone, especially… _Ice Cream."_

_Curly:_

"_Well, whoever this 'Ice Cream' is, he should be happy to have someone like you to love him. I have always let it be known my queen Rhonda is the only one for this man. No other shall pierce my heart as strongly as my sweet darling. Do you think if I do back off a little, she'll be mine?"_

Helga:

"Well, it's not working to practically assault her every time you see her and try to smooch her. You may love her as much as I love… _Ice Cream_, but it obviously freaks her out. Give her space and time."

_Curly:_

"_All right, I'll give it a shot. For my babe. And you think about what I told you Helga. Good luck on your 'Ice Cream'."_

Helga:

"Thanks Cur… I mean Thaddeus. I will think about it. Good luck with _Princess_ too. She'll fall head over heels for you in no time."

_Curly: _

"_Yes! Now, to the zoo! AH HA HA HA HA!"_

Helga:

… … … "Poor twisted little freak" thought Helga, as she smiled slightly to herself.


	9. Of Blood and Honor

**I love this challenge because it has part of my username in it. LOL!**

**It's such an… honor. ROFL! All right, enough puns. Enjoy the story.**

**Challenge 9: Of Blood and Honor**

I just couldn't believe it. After all this time, all these years. I had never known what had happened to them. I often had wondered what had happened to them after that fateful, rainy day. The questions of their whereabouts had frustrated, upset, and ultimately puzzled me for as long as I can remember. I had always wanted to go to San Lorenzo to find them, to bring them home and complete my family, to finally have a mother and father.

Now I knew what had happened to them.

* * *

_When we had arrived in San Lorenzo, I immediately knew something was up with Arnold. We've been friends since Pre-K; I could almost read the guy by now. He has been carrying around that journal he says his father had since he found it. It's like his Bible; he never lets it out of his sight. So when the class made camp for the night, he pulled out the journal and made some excuse about going to sleep earlier._

_I followed him to the tent and played along with his little game, but I feigned sleep after a few minutes. He opened the tent and left, his stuff gone. I sat up and peeked out of the tent just in time to see him wander to the forest edge. I got dressed, grabbed my bag, put on my shoes and followed him at a distance. I heard him mumbling to himself, something about "the next path" or "it's a river"._

_I finally was done with this. I caught up with him and called his name. I heard rustling leaves as Arnold turned around. He was seemed surprised to see me._

"_Gerald? What are you doing here? Go back to camp, you shouldn't be out here."_

_I raised my eyebrow and frowned. "Really Arnold? YOU shouldn't be out here either. I'm following you through this crazy jungle." I paused and added, "Are you going to find your parents?"_

_He looked down, his face unreadable. I guessed that I was right._

"_Listen Arnold. You're going to need help finding them. You can't do this by yourself."_

"_But I don't want you to get hurt Gerald. I don't want to risk that."_

"_Don't you remember when we stopped FTi from destroying the neighborhood? Or when we saved Mighty Pete, or when we fixed Geraldfield, or went out with those 6th grade girls? Running Mrs. Vitelo's flower shop? Finding the haunted train? We did all of that together, through thick and thin." I looked at Arnold for a second; then I held out my hand. "WE'LL find them, together. I'm with you all the way man."_

_Arnold smiled and held out his hand. We wiggled thumbs and he led the way while I followed close behind._

* * *

Our map had shown the river would be within a few hours hike. I closed the book and continued with Gerald north. I checked my compass every few steps, not wanting to be so close to them and to mess up by getting lost. We continued at a walk, often hearing the jungle's noises as we continued until dawn broke the sky.

I found a cave ahead that we could use to rest for a little while. Gerald and I sat down at the entrance for a little while. I pulled out the journal and rechecked our position, wondering if there could be an easier or faster, or both, way that we could get to the formally uncharted forest that was the home of the Green Eyed People. While holding the journal, my eyes fell out of exhaustion, and I went to sleep while clutching the journal close to me…

* * *

_I couldn't help but pity Arnold. He was willing to drive himself until he dropped for his parents. He was a bold kid, no doubt about it. I knew that he would find them; he just had something right going for him._

_I decided to examine the cave while he slept. It was deep and dark, kind of reminding me of the cave on Elk Island when we had gone for the treasure of Wheezin' Ed. I grabbed a flashlight from my bag, and turned it on. Mr. Simmons had said to be prepared for anything in San Lorenzo, and man was I glad I had listened to him._

_I maneuvered the flashlight around while creeping deeper and deeper into the cave, taking in the beautiful stalactites. That's right, I'd been listening to Phoebe. Mmm mmm mmm, that girl was smart. Anyways, I came across some small tunnels and decided to check one out. I followed it, the cave becoming smaller and smaller until I had to crouch to move in any direction._

_Then, I came to a room. The room that would forever change Arnold's life._

"_ARNOLD! HEY ARNOLD!" I called as I shuffled, then ran to him again. I was afraid of his reaction, but I knew he had to see it._

* * *

I woke up to someone yelling my name. Out of habit, I had swung my hand up to put my clock on silent. But it wasn't my alarm, nor was it there. It was Gerald, and he was sweating hard from running.

He dragged me up while he kept saying, "Arnold, they're here. They're here."

"Who's here Gerald?" I shook my head to wake myself up. But he didn't answer me, but dragged me until we got to some tunnels. He selected one and ran down it. It took me a minute to finally catch up with him, but that was because the tunnel had gotten smaller and smaller, forcing him to slow down.

"Gerald, why are we going down this tunnel? What's down here? Who's here?" He didn't say anything. He kept shuffling toward the exit, or what I had thought was the exit. He stood up inside the room and stepped aside, allowing me to fully see the room.

The walls were decorated with crude painting and drawings of a man and woman. Some drawings depicted them fighting men with guns and swords, some depicted them nursing the sick and wounded. On the main wall of the room stood a mural divided in half. One half showed a depiction of Mom and Dad at the alter, standing and facing each other while the San Lorenzo officiant bonded them in holy matrimony. The other half depicted a child in Stella's arms, the baby sleeping in a temple. This child had a football-shaped head and unruly blonde hair. I smiled at the beautiful room, until I saw the middle of the room.

On the floor were two life-sized statues of Mom and Dad. Two green smoke trails circled around the statues, and words were written at the base of both of the statues. Mom was kneeling down, her face calm and almost soothing, as if tending to a patient. Dad was in a fighting stance, a sword in his hand and pistol in his other. His face, arms, and clothes were all slashed from battle, his face a contortion of anger and another emotion. Sadness? Revenge? Joy? I couldn't tell.

At the ground of their feet were two necklace amulets and what looked like a First-Aid kit and my father's real sword and scabbard. The amulets were set on top of each of the items that my parents had carried with them. I didn't know what the amulets were at the time, but I figured it out.

I fell to the ground, convulsing as the truth of the room's real purpose came over me. It was a memorial. These paintings were to glorify them, these statues to immortalize them.

I just couldn't believe it. After all this time, all these years. I had never known what had happened to them. I often had wondered what had happened to them after that fateful, rainy day. The questions of their whereabouts had frustrated, upset, and ultimately puzzled me for as long as I can remember. I had always wanted to go to San Lorenzo to find them, to bring them home and complete my family, to finally have a mother and father.

Now I knew what had happened to them. I knew now why they had never come home. It was because… because…

Because they were dead.

* * *

_I have seen Arnold battle amazing odds. He has always come out on top, despite everyone, even me at times, giving up on him and whatever situation had been going on. He never gave up, he saw the bright side of everything. He always found some way to pull it off, no matter what._

_My own words rushed to my head as I yelled at him, telling him that in real life, you don't always win. I was glad to be wrong that morning when we had saved the neighborhood. But what if I was right? I didn't want to be right._

_But this time, I was right. And it was not a good feeling._

_I stepped forward carefully and calmly said, "Come on Arnold. We have to go to camp. We can't do anything."_

_He rose from the ground, not letting me see his face. But I knew he was crying. I knew I would be. I'll admit it. But what I didn't expect was what happened next._

_Arnold walked up to his father's statue and took off the amulet/token off of the scabbard and sword. He put on the scabbard and slid the sword into the scabbard. Then he went to his mother's and took the First-Aid kit lying at her feet, leaving the amulet at the feet of the statue._

_"Uh, Arnold? What are you doing man?" I asked nervously. When I saw his face, I became afraid. I saw revenge on that bold, bold kid's face. I knew what he was about to do was WAAAAAY beyond anything we have done so far. His next words confirmed this feeling._

"_I'm taking them. I'm taking them because I will need them. I'm going to avenge my parent's deaths. My father's sword was used with honor. Now, I will use it for honor, and blood. The blood of the men who tore them away from me."_

_He walked silently back toward the tunnel and ducked inside. He didn't look back. I shook my head and sighed, and followed him inside._


	10. Letters From Nowhere

**Sorry for the late prompt, but a fever and migraine disposed of me for all of yesterday and most of today, so I wasn't able to do this post. But I hope it makes up for itself, so please enjoy!**

**Challenge 10: Letters From Nowhere**

The red carpet shone in the night from the camera flashes as the black stretch limo rounded the corner. It took 30 seconds for the back car door to finally reach the carpet, and 45 seconds for the driver to reach the door. Photographers aimed their cameras at the door, waiting for the star to step out.

Tonight was the night of the Tony awards, and everyone was expecting Eugene Horowitz to once again steal the show with his theatre performances. The rising star had won several Tony awards for past showings, including Eugene, Eugene; his first appearance in a Broadway show/musical. His career has sky-rocketed, and it would be no surprise if the young man once again took home the most Tonys.

Cameras flashed as the door was opened, but Eugene Horowitz did not step out of the car, waving his hand with a confident smile before tripping on the carpet, as he had the previous year. No one stepped out of the car. As the door remained open, the photographers began to lower their cameras and look quizzically at each other. One reporter was brave enough to look inside the door.

He gasped and snapped photos like crazy, which prompted all the other photographers to glance inside the limousine as well. Gasps and camera clicks were heard as the news spread like wildfire. Tonight's Tonys would be the #1 story of the night, but not for the awards, or the shock of the wins and losses.

It would be the mysterious death of Eugene Horowitz.

* * *

The police arrived and taped down the area within minutes. The prime witnesses to the initial realization were taken away and questioned. Evidence was collected and sent back to the police station, where Police Chief Director Gerald Johanssen immediately took over the case.

Gerald was the youngest director of the Hillwood Police Department in its history. He rose through the ranks quickly, saving lives, capturing criminals, and solving mysteries such as this since Gerald began his training. After only 5 years, he was voted by the board to be the newest director, the youngest director. This was his 3rd year as leading director, and he was getting tired of sitting at a desk and filing paperwork and attending meetings. But he knew someone had to do it.

While Eugene and Gerald had for the most part drifted away after school, Gerald still kept up to date with some of his old friends, including Eugene. The surprise of his death was almost like a punch to the gut, and Gerald had received several of those. His emotions took over his professional demeanor for the first time in years, and he called the agents first on the scene and took over. This case was personal.

He had every photographer who witnessed the body questioned, and he was present at all the interrogations behind the 1-way glass. None of the photographers were guilty, though most were baffled by the sudden end to the young performer's life. The exceptions knew he had had several close calls with past die-hard fans and his own clumsiness. Gerald discounted them since their stories were covered and all the reporters were dismissed. He then examined possible fans that could have done this and he looked back into Eugene's past to find anyone with a motive.

None were apparent at first, but his list was sent to his personal team to narrow down. He then went to the evidence lab for more clues, hoping Phoebe would find something that could pop the case wide-open. He smiled to himself as he took the elevator to the basement floor. Phoebe had never let him down yet, and she would probably be on this case as much as him.

The doors slid open as Gerald walked into the evidence lab, Phoebe's back turned as she bent over something on a table, examining the object with undivided and possibly fascinated attention. He stopped behind her and slid his arms gently around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder.

He said, "Hey babe. Whatcha looking at?"

Phoebe smiled, "Hello Director. I am just examining this fine piece of paper that was found at the scene of poor Eugene." She turned within Gerald's grasp, and looked up at him. Gerald loved to see her working, it was kind of hot how she could be so smart, look good in a lab coat, and still get her job done all at the same time. Her ring glistened in the lab light as she pulled him in for a small kiss.

Smiling wider, Gerald continued, "What does the beautiful piece of paper tell you?" Phoebe giggled slightly and turned around again, this time getting to business.

"It appears that the paper is a letter to Eugene, written with a Uni-ball Signo 207 pen on ordinary copier paper. The ink has dried but the writer smeared it while writing, so maybe I can pull a fingerprint from that. Notice the slight slant of the letters from right to left; top to bottom?" She lifted the paper up with tweezers, allowing Gerald to see her observation. "That means the writer was right-handed. By my analysis the letter was probably written at least 24 hours before Eugene's death. That will narrow your search down to anyone Eugene has seen within 48 hours of his death. I also found…"

"Director!" shouted Inspector Sid, as he rushed into the evidence lab. He paused just inside the door, wondering if he was interrupting anything, but Gerald waved him in. He rushed over, his boots almost booming within the room. Gerald winced slightly, but Sid began to talk.

"Sir, agents have finished inspecting Eugene's mansion, and they found more letters addressed to him."

"Do they look like this?" Gerald motioned for Phoebe to raise the paper, showing Sid the letter.

He nodded and continued, "Yes sir, no signature or address, returning or sending, was found on any of them. They are on their way here to be examined."

Gerald stroked his goatee, thinking. "These letters came from no address huh? The letters from nowhere."

Phoebe nodded sternly behind him. "We must work hard to find out who murdered Eugene. I would like the letters brought to me immediately when they arrive, by you Sid." Phoebe's authoritative tone caught Sid off guard, but with a quick glance at Gerald, he stammered, "You got it Phoebe." He clomped himself back out of the lab, leaving the two alone again.

Gerald smiled at his wife, "I sometimes wonder who the Director around here is. Helga seems to have rubbed off on you, Babe. I'll talk to you later, all right?" He gently kissed Phoebe on the cheek, and began the other way.

"All right dear. Dinner's at 7, don't forget" called Phoebe to her husband. She turned around again and said, "Oh, and honey?" Gerald stopped at the door and turned to see her again. "Don't hurt the reporters again, will you?"

Gerald exhaled. He had almost forgotten that he had a meeting with reporters as to how the case was going on. He always hated the press, they were just rats scavenging to come up with a story, any story. Eugene's passing would be nationwide news, at the very least, and he knew the questions were coming. He grunted an affirmative, and quietly left the lab.

* * *

In his uniform, Director Johannsen stepped onto the podium and cleared his throat. He read his speech as he had prepared it.

"The death of Eugene Horowitz is under intense investigation. I have personally taken under this case, as the murderer(s) are still at large and could potentially bring around the deaths of more innocent lives. This case is being handled with the best men and women in Hillwood, and I urge for all citizens to please stay on the lookout for anyone suspicious. Please notify the police if you have any tips to this murder. I will not be answering any questions please."

With this closing statement, the Director left and headed to his team to see their new list of suspects.

* * *

On the far side of Hillwood stood the murderer. Tonight was the Tony awards, and the plan was all figured out. Everything was set in place for this last letter to be delivered, only this time, they would deliver it personally. Eugene Horowitz was to have a little reunion, and it was going to be one to die for.

**This story will be continued in today's prompt, It's Too Late, and I will have it completed by tomorrow. Please review and critique, and look forward to the next chapter.**


	11. It's Too Late

**Part 2 of my story started in last chapters prompt, Letters From Nowhere. This story is not finished, but will be completed in a later prompt or as a story by itself. Please review, and wait for my next chapter.**

**Challenge 11: It's Too Late**

His face was calm, tranquil. The happy-go-lucky attitude would no longer shine on Eugene Horowitz's face. His body was covered with a white sheet, waiting in the morgue until the time it was to be autopsied. It was a terrible way for him to die, and no one felt more remorse than the man sitting down in front of the body, staring at the face of his childhood friend.

His blonde hair was combed back, his green eyes lost in deep thought, searching for some reason why someone would want to kill Eugene. He sighed as he shook his oblong head, unsure how to even absorb this. He had heard from Gerald and on the news about Eugene's death, but until he had sat down in front of him, the full impact had not truly set in. Now his emotions were spiraling out of control. He felt a presence stand next to him.

"You have to leave now Arnold. It's time for them to examine the body so we can find out who did this" said Gerald simply.

Arnold sighed again and stood up. His eyes met Gerald's, and he saw the same deep sadness in his face as he felt. They walked away, and Arnold gave Eugene one last look before exiting the examination room.

"Don't worry Arnold. We're working hard to find out whoever did this, and when we do, they WILL be sorry." assured Gerald as they entered the hallway. Arnold nodded, his eyes cast downward.

"Do you have any idea who did do this to Eugene?"

"Not right now" confessed Gerald, "but my team is inspecting my newest list of potential suspects right now. It's only Day 2 man, don't worry."

"It's only Day 2, but it's too late for Eugene" Arnold thought to himself. He did believe Gerald though. He would catch the murderer(s), he knew he would; for Eugene.

* * *

The murderer held a phone to his ear just as he saw the limo pull away from the Tony awards, the police beginning to round up reporters and witnesses and taping off the area.

In the phone, he heard, "It's set. They'll never know it was you. The trail is covered, except for him."

The murderer set his eyes on an approaching figure. He closed the phone and frowned slightly, straightening his tie as the Weasel began to speak.

"Well, how did it go?"

"It was a complete success. Mr. Horowitz is dead, and I'm completely covered. They will never know. It is too late for the police, by this time tomorrow, I will cease to exist."

The Weasel smiled hopefully, "And my debt?"

"Is settled as of…," the murderer pulled out a silenced pistol from his jacket and aimed at the Weasel's head.

"Now." He pulled the trigger, sending the Weasel into the dirt behind him. The blood ran down the hill as the murderer stared with disgust at him.

"I always hated weasels." He pulled out his cell phone again and hit 4.

"Yes boss" answered a bodyguard on the other end.

"My business is finished here and all loose ends are taken care of. Please dispose of the body where no one will find it." He smiled to himself and added, "Weasels love holes to hide in. Put him in a hole."

"Yes boss." A click was heard as the phone was closed, and the murderer walked away as the Weasel slowly drained into the grass around him.


	12. Shooting Star

**All right, I HATE this prompt, simply because of the specifics of the prompt. I didn't WANT to do some fluff piece about AXH or GXP seeing a shooting star and kissing or asking the other to marry them, etc. etc., so I wasn't able to write ANYTHING. I almost cracked and did some filler and I was going to replace it later.**

**But then, while I was watching Hey Arnold, an idea fully just SLAMMED me in the face. And here's my challenge.**

**Challenge 12: Shooting Star**

I can't believe he got a C+! I knew he was a smart boy. The best son a mother could ask for. I'm so proud of my little Torvald. He's such a wonderful son and he makes me so proud. And I have that wonderful star to thank.

When I had gotten home one night from working at the supermarket, before I headed inside I had seen a shooting star streak across the sky. I closed my eyes and made a wish for my little Torvy. My wish was that he would show how brilliant he was. And then that little boy came to tutor him. I think his name was Arnold.

Torvy told me about how Arnold had been picked as his tutor for Math class. He was such a sweet boy; I even showed him Torvy's little picture where he stayed within the lines. He seemed to like it, and I headed to work to leave them alone.

As the days passed I saw Torvy come home from school so happy. My son had made a wonderful friend who helped him with his schoolwork. I slept easier those nights, and I thanked the star for sending Arnold to help Torvald. I loved when Torvy came with his Math test.

He came in running through the door. I had been washing dishes, just humming a lullaby I had sang to him when he was a baby.

"Mom, look at my test Arnold helped my study for." He stood and held the test out for me. I took it in my hands and saw his C+.

"OHHH Torvy!" I shouted at him. I pulled him into a hug, beaming. He smiled with pride, and I immediately tagged it to the fridge. He ran to his room, his head held high, and I silently thanked Arnold for helping. And then I thanked the little star who had sent him to my son.


	13. Dawn In Darkness

**FRIDAY THE 13TH! Who else will purposely be provoking bad luck for the day? I know I WILL! *Maniacal laugh***

**Shout out to 2DArray for the idea. (See bottom A/N for clarification) Please review and I hope you enjoy this.**

**Challenge 13: Dawn In Darkness**

Hello. My name is Helga G. Pataki. I'd like to tell you a bit about myself.

I've always been a bit of a loner, not wanting anyone's help or advice, just dealing with my problems on my own. I was always ignored by my family and treated as if I'm not there. I have faced starvation and intense loneliness. My mother was an alcoholic and my father never had the time of day for me. They obsessed over my older sister, and I ended up taking a backseat in my parent's eyes. Even into my adult life it never truly stopped. I have always faced it, but I was never happy.

But when I was a child, he came along. I was rocked to my very core. He made life worth living. He was the dawn in my horrible darkness of life, the one person who treated me with any kindness or attention. But I never told him how much he meant to me for years, to the point that I thought that I would take my secret to my grave. Then one day, on one of his wild adventures, I told him my love.

He finally learned his feelings for me soon after getting his parents back, and together we grew. I was complete. We were fire and ice, yin and yang. Our relationship was blissful and mutual. It was almost perfect.

Almost.

My own pride was my undoing. I didn't appreciate him enough, and I often took him for granted. I never realized how much I would miss him until he was gone. We had never really fought before that time. I never wanted him to leave. I don't remember what we fought about, but I feel responsible for it. And I don't blame him, I would have left too if I had been treated the same. I just wish I had gotten a good-bye.

I just miss him so much; I want to see him again, even if I can only watch him from afar again. I want to tell him how sorry I am, how every day I have thought only of him.

Wait, where are you going? Don't leave. Please. Please don't go. I don't want to be lonely anymore.

* * *

_My patient, Helga G. Pataki, has been institutionalized for the past 5 years after her severe nervous and mental breakdown. I have watched over her these past years, and she has shown no progress toward recovery. I have been patient enough with her due to our past appointments, but I now realize that she will never get over Arnold Shortman._

_Helga is able to fully account her entire life except for that day. I have heard her tell of her family, her emotions, and her life in general since she was a little girl. __Helga has expressed her understanding that Arnold is now gone, but what she doesn't understand is that Arnold didn't leave her. She killed him. I still remember the police report, that the police had found a makeshift grave in their backyard of their house, his body preserved in a large emerald green box. The box was probably the only one large enough to use as a makeshift coffin. Daisies had been found next to the grave, probably planted by Helga herself._

_Helga had been found in a drunken coma in her living room, empty wine bottles spread around her. When she was found, she had been taken to the hospital to recover, and then she was found guilty of murdering her husband. The shock traumatized her, and soon after she was declared mentally insane, and she has been institutionalized ever since._

_While in her coma, I believe Helga formatted this story about how she and Arnold had had a fight and he had left her, in order to avoid the awful truth. Every time she has been explained what really happened, she breaks down again, only by the next appointment, she once again believes in her made-up story._

_I am deeply saddened by Helga's spiral into illness, and I truly wish she could get better, but her obsession with Arnold has left her unable to care for herself. She is now a potential danger to herself and others, and I recommend no release for her in the future._

_This will be my final report on Helga, and I hope someday, she gets over her fantasy and moves on._

_Signed: Dr. Bliss_

**This fic was inspired by a game I have played. It is called The Company of Myself by 2DArray, and it is one of the best I have ever played. Ever. And I've played a LOT of them.**

**It can be found on the gaming sites Kongregate, (which I recommend), Armorgames, and Newgrounds. Check it out if you want the original story. It is an emotional game that requires thinking, and it tells a story. It's very sad, so check it out if you like puzzle/thinking games.**


	14. When History Repeats Itself

**Challenge 14: When History Repeats Itself**

Gerald, Phoebe, Arnold and Helga were standing at the top of a hill, Martin sitting atop his bike and being pushed back and forth by his father. The training wheels squeaked as Gerald almost rocked Martin, his brand new bike shining in the daylight. Martin held onto his handlebars, imagining what it would be like to win a bike race just like his father had.

Gerald let go of Martin for a moment and looked at Arnold.

"Well, why didn't you just tell Harold to stop? He's going to burst from eating so much some day."

Arnold sighed, "I tried to, but he was determined to show how much he could eat."

Helga chuckled slightly. Then she said, "I know one thing though. That buffet restaurant will never let Patty and Harold back in again for a long time. They might even have him on a restriction if he ever does." Helga burst out laughing while getting glares from Phoebe and Arnold. Gerald shook his head, smiling to himself.

He reached down again, but only felt empty air. He looked down, his smile sliding off his face. Martin was gone.

"Oh no, where did Martin go?" yelled Gerald as he looked frantically around, then down the hill. He raced as fast as he could, his wife and friends running to catch up. Gerald followed the road, hoping that Martin was okay and that he too didn't get a bad experience on his first bike.

He eyed a nearby construction site and immediately ran to it, his eyes sweeping around for an upside-down bike and maybe some feet waving back and forth. He didn't find anything, but he did hear Phoebe call, "GERALD! I FOUND HIM!"

Gerald turned to see Phoebe pulling a distraught Martin from some trash cans piled on the corner of a street, his clothes rank and covered with banana peels, candy wrappers, and socks. But the boy was smiling, not upset and traumatized as Gerald had been, and what he had thought Martin would be. He ran to his son, hoping he wasn't hurt, physically or otherwise.

"Martin! Are you okay son? You're not hurt are you? I'm so sorry; I didn't know you went down the hill."

Martin beamed at his father, "Dad, that was AWESOME! Can I do that again?"

Gerald stared at Martin, then Phoebe, then Martin again. "What did you say son?"

Martin picked up his bike, "That was soooo fun! Can I go again? Only this time, I want to…"

"No, no, no" interrupted Gerald, his son losing his smile. "That was too close Martin, and I almost had a heart attack from this little experience."

Arnold snickered, "This seems familiar, doesn't it Gerald?" Helga looked between Arnold and Gerald, confusion evident on her face. Phoebe giggled quietly, and then explained to Helga.

"Let's just say Helga…" she peeked at Gerald, who had already told her about his own accident, "that history has repeated itself." Helga looked at Phoebe, then Gerald. Understanding crossed her face, and then she smirked. Arnold shot her a look before she said anything. Helga rolled her eyes and kneeled next to Martin.

She spoke sweetly, "Well, are you okay Martin?"

Martin nodded. Disappointment still was on his face from his father's rejection of trying again. Helga leaned closer to Martin and whispered something into his ear. Martin's eyes widened as heard her, then he jumped up and hugged Helga's neck, almost knocking her over.

Gerald raised an eyebrow, "Helga, what are you up to?"

Helga waved him off, "Oh nothing Geraldo, nothing at all." But her mischievous smile said otherwise.

"Score; Aunt Helga: 1. Dad: 0" thought Helga as she and Martin led the way back up the road, pushing Martin's bike back toward the top of the hill.


	15. Caressed By A Nightmare

**Continuation of the story started in Letters From Nowhere and It's Too Late.**

**Challenge 15: Caressed By A Nightmare**

A man sat timidly in a room. He was blindfolded and his hands were cuffed behind him. He didn't know where he was, but he did know who might have taken him. He knew now why he was captured; it had been foolish to come back to Hillwood, but it was still his only chance. He wasn't sure how he would kill him, but he would think of something. There is always a way to take what you want, as long as you weren't seen or caught.

His blindfold was taken off and he was punched, causing the chair to almost tip over. He managed to balance himself onto the floor, but another fist soon collided into him. He whipped around as each new hit sent him almost flying onto the ground. At one point he did fall, his head banging into the hard concrete floor. He felt the blood from his nose, mouth, and head slowly slide down his face and neck as he was set back up. This time, he could see out of his black eye another fist raised, but a cold voice commanded, "That's enough."

A blinding light from a lamp was set in front of him. He turned his head away, unable to stand it, but unable to do anything else. He heard steps, followed by someone stepping from the shadows. As his eyes adjusted, he saw the man up close and gasped. Fear gripped within him as if it were death itself. He had hoped to never see this kingpin again. It was almost a nightmare, and he couldn't wake up from this one.

"Well, well, well. It seems we have an old friend in town. I never thought that today I would catch 'the Weasel', but I suppose even I get lucky sometimes" said the man before him, his voice causing shivers to run down the Weasel's spine. The left side of the man's face was grotesque, a large scar set from his left ear to his chin, as if from a massive knife wound or burn. His hair was combed and gelled back, sunglasses covering his eyes. He was taller than in school, and he still wore a plain black suit. A frown was carved into his face, "I thought you had forgotten about me, or more specifically, your debt to me. You thought you could just run away Mickey? You thought you could hide forever?"

He punched the Weasel, sending waves of pain through his face as he struggled to stay upright. Mickey heard a step, and then his face turned as he brought it close to the kingpin's.

"You were wrong."

Mickey stammered, "I-III gaaave up being the W-wweasel a long time ago. You can't make me do that again."

A cold smile upturned onto the kingpin's face as he let go of Mickey's face. "I'm sure I can. I mean, how hard is it to really follow someone? I have several men who could do the job, but I need an expert. And if my expert doesn't do his job, well…" He let the sentence drop there, knowing the message would get through. Mickey gulped, knowing what would happen if he didn't oblige to the demands.

"All right, all right. I'll do it. Just don't kill me, please."

The kingpin patted, almost caressed Mickey face, "Good Weasel. I'm glad you know your place. Now I need you to watch over another man who owes me a debt. His name is Eugene Horowitz."

Mickey's eyes widened. "You mean the Broadway star? He used to go to school with us. Why do you need me to follow him?"

"Because he too owes me, and he has run out of time. I need to…" He paused for a moment, "_collect_ that debt, in a way." He smiled cruelly. Mickey knew that smile did not mean anything good, at least for Mr. Klutz, as he remembered him as.

The man continued, "I need you to follow Mr. Horowitz everywhere he goes. I want to know everything about his daily routine, and in a few days, Hillwood's very own Circle Theatre will be hosting the Tony awards. I have no doubt our old friend will attend, but I want to have my debt before then."

The man undid Mickey's hands and released him from his seat. Mickey stood and massaged his wrists.

"So when do you want me to get started?"

"Immediately" said Mickey's new boss. "I want you to report to me…" he tossed Mickey a cell phone, "in an hour on your progress. Now go."

Mickey put the phone into his pocket, "You got it Big Gino." He turned and left the room.

The murderer smiled slightly. "I haven't been called that since I was a boy."

One bodyguard, the man who had beaten Mickey, hesitated and then asked, "He won't walk away from this, will he Boss?"

The murderer turned and straightened his suit. "No. He won't."

**There, now you know who he is, but how did he do it? That is to be revealed…**

**Later. Please review. And this will be continued in later prompts/chapters in a new story, so look for them.**


	16. When Worlds Collide

**Sorry for the slow update, but I have been kind of dealing with something all writer's must face, Life. But hopefully more shall be on the way.**

**TEASER ALERT! This is a crossover idea I've bounced around for a while. Hope you enjoy this small token of what's to come.**

**Challenge 16: When Worlds Collide**

Arnold and the rest of his junior science class of P.S 119 wandered around the Hillwood Scientific Research and Development Center, their badges bouncing off their chests and pencils scribbling as their tour guide began speaking.

"This is our genetics and mutations facility, where we study the different mutations, chromosomes, proteins and overall genetics within the center. We have several species of vertebrate and invertebrate living here, ranging from lizards to butterflies to chimpanzees. We take them to our lab," here the guide showed a one-way glass to the class of men and women spinning test tubes, typing formulas into a computer, and sanitizing and using equipment in lab coats.

She continued "inject necessary chemicals or extract blood from the animal to conduct tests, then the results are examined and recorded in here." Here she gestured to another room that was blocked by security door.

"Unfortunately, that area is blocked off, only allowed by the top research specialists. Now, if you come with me," she led the group further on, but Arnold hung back to admire some of the work being done inside the lab. He watched as the small cages were taken from a few carts and stacked on top of a lab table. Inside the cages seemed to be spiders, black, blue, yellow and all sorts of other colored ones.

Arnold stared in amazement at them. They were beautiful and deadly at the same time, spinning webs and crawling stealthily around the cages. Arnold knew this is the stuff Nadine would love.

Suddenly, one of the assistants came to a researcher, holding a clipboard and talking, his hand shaking and a look of fear on his face. The researcher took the clipboard, and then began to yell at the assistant. Arnold couldn't hear him, but he was sure that whatever was wrong was huge. He backed away and ran to catch up with the group.

He turned a corner and stayed in the back. His leg began to itch, making him unable to focus on the guide. He scratched the area, but it only increased and seemed to travel up his leg. Then, he gasped.

Pain unleashed along his leg. He lifted his jeans to see a spider sitting just below his knee, biting into him. He brushed the spider off, but it crawled onto his hand. He tried to kill it by slapping his hand, but it was too quick and he hit his hand. The spider bit into his wrist and Arnold cried out, catching the attention of everyone in the group. His leg and now his wrist felt on fire. He finally hit the spider as it continued its last bite, and then he brushed it off his wrist as his knees buckled. He fell forward as his notepad and pencil slid across the floor.

His breathing became labored as he struggled to get up again. A few students were around him, asking if he was alright and why he was crying out. He pushed past them and left the center to wait to go back to school.

But already the spider's venom was spreading around Arnold's body in his bloodstream. And his life would change, forever.

**Well, here we go. Finally done.**

**It's just a teaser, so I didn't give too many details to what worlds collide, but just think about it a little. It will get clearer as I get more into it.**


	17. Whispers In The Dark

**Challenge 17: Whispers In The Dark**

"Hey Arnold, I give up." Tall Hair Boy pointed to the yearbook picture of me. "The next name on this list is HELGA PATAKI." He lifted his hand to his face, smiling. Arnold stared at him for a second, and then they both flailed on the bed, laughing and holding their sides.

"How dare they laugh at me. Why I aughta…" I thought angrily. I would have flattened them both if I wasn't trying to hide in that stupid closet. I growled as Geraldo said, "Helga" in between fits of laughter.

I must have growled too loudly though, because Gerald sat up and stopped laughing.

"Did you hear something?" questioned Gerald to Arnold. Arnold sat up and listened. I put my hand over my mouth and waited, hoping he hadn't heard me.

"Ohhh why can't I just keep my mouth shut?" scolded my thoughts as I waited.

I stared in silent relief as my beloved said, "Huh, must be coyotes."

"Let's face it Arnold. We're stumped." Geraldo jumped off the bed and circled to face Arnold. I slid closer inside the closet in case my beloved accidentally saw me behind Gerald. How would I explain myself then?

"We ain't any closer to figuring this out, and we've been working all night." Gerald yawned and stretched. "Let's take a break."

I beamed. "Yes, yes. Take a break." I clapped quietly, hoping my football-headed darling would stop his search.

"Let's go down to Slausen's and get an ice cream cone" suggested Gerald.

"Hmm. Yeah, I could go for some ice cream" agreed Arnold. He closed the yearbook and set it down on his bed.

"Yes. Ice cream. Good plan" I whispered excitedly as I smiled. Finally he was leaving so I could sneak the book away.

"But then again…" I frowned at my love's hesitation.

Geraldo groaned "Aww, come on Arnold."

"Well…" Arnold picked up and looked at my book.

"Go. Go." I waved my hands up and down. "Just go, please." I pleadingly thought.

"What was that?" Tall Hair Boy turned his head toward the closet door.

I put my hands on my face. "Must stop talking to myself."

"Are you sure you don't hear something?" Gerald asked Arnold. My eyes widened and I covered my mouth.

"Shut up, shut up! I have to get through this or else it's all for nothing" I mentally scolded myself.

"Look, we're both tired." Gerald looked at Arnold again as he got off the bed. Arnold shrugged, "I'm just going to go straight to bed." Arnold and Geraldo wiggled thumbs.

"Okay. See you tomorrow Arnold." Gerald walked out. I sighed silently in relief.

Arnold waved, "See ya."

I pulled out and turned on my phone. I knew I wasn't going anywhere without that book, so it looked like I was staying in Arnold's closet for the night. But I needed a cover so my folks wouldn't get suspicious. I dialed Phoebe's number, hoping her parents wouldn't answer it.

Phoebe answered, "Hello?"

"Grubworm, this is Mighty Falcon."

"Who?" questioned Phoebs.

"Mighty Falcon."

"I'm sorry, you must have the wrong number."

I sighed. Sometimes, I just felt surrounded. I turned away from the closet door to be more quiet.

"Phoebe, it's me, Helga." I turned to watch my beloved make his bed. "Listen, call my mom and tell her I'm sleeping over with you."

"But Helga…" Phoebs started to object.

"Just DO IT!" I whispered fiercely to her. Criminy, is that too much to ask, to call my folks and pretend I'm staying at your house?

I closed the phone as my beloved turned off the lights. He looked so snug in his bed, so cute. I heard crickets churp from outside, the night also pulling me to sleep.

"Good night, sweet prince" I whispered in the dark to my beloved. I quietly shut the closet door, hoping the creaks wouldn't alert him to my existence.

As it shut, I sat and put my head between my legs, stroking his sock I had grabbed earlier in the afternoon. It was going to be a long night for me.

**I watched this scene what must have been a hundred times, so it better be pretty damn close to it. Please review, and hopefully I can shell out another challenge later.**


	18. Vindication

**I've wanted to do this for who knows how long. XD Enjoy!**

**Challenge 18: Vindication**

Dr. Bliss sat patiently at her desk, waiting for her next patient. In fact, this would be the first time she had ever spoken to this student outside of P.S. 118. She had wanted the opportunity for a while, but she had never been able to schedule an appointment for any time except today. She smiled at the sound of the door knocking.

"Come inside" she called out. The door opened to show Thaddeus Gammelthorpe. "Why hello Mr. Gammelthorpe, I'm glad you got here on time."

Curly walked to the couch and sat down on the reclining couch. Dr. Bliss couldn't help but notice the swagger in Thaddeus' walk as he crossed the room. She made a note about it on her clipboard.

"Yeah, sure doc. So, what did you want me to come to your office about?"

Dr. Bliss stood from her desk and walked to the chair opposite the couch. "Actually Thaddeus… may I call you Thaddeus?" She sat down.

"Call me Curly. It's what the other kids call me." Curly lay back on the couch.

"Well why do they call you Curly?" questioned Dr. Bliss curiously.

Curly shrugged. "Not sure. It's just what they call me."

Dr. Bliss made a note to ask Helga if she knew at her next appointment.

"Well Curly, you seem to be in a good mood about your first appointment with me."

Curly scoffed. "You wish doc. I'm just happy about my babe." Dr. Bliss raised her eyebrows.

"Would your 'babe' be Ms. Lloyd, the one I saw you try to kiss the other day?"

Curly sat up, his face lit up with a dreamy smile, "You got it doc. She's my darling, my girl."

"Is that so? Then why did she slap you the other day when you tried to kiss her?" Dr. Bliss paraphrased her question on her clipboard, then looked back at Curly.

He shrugged, "She just needs to grow to the idea of being with such a hunk like me."

Dr. Bliss shifted in her seat, "Well Curly, let's first talk about why you're here. I asked you to come see me because of the almost harassment that you put on Ms. Lloyd the other day. I understand you might like her…"

Curly stood up, his face twisted in anger, "I don't LIKE her! I LOVE HER with the passion of the sun! She is the only woman for me, and she will one day become MINE! AHAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed crazily, his laugh echoing around the small office.

If it hadn't been for her years of experience, she would be unnerved by Curly's actions and interruption. But instead, she waited for Curly to calm down.

She continued as if he hadn't interrupted her, "But if you harass her, she will not begin to reciprocate your feelings." She leaned forward while Curly turned up his nose and turned his head, his attitude obviously not willing to listen to her.

"Not reciprocate my feelings? HA! She can only resist me for so long. No one can resist my charm for long" thought Curly to himself. Rhonda was his forever, and she would one day realize that.

Dr. Bliss sighed. "Obviously you seek her love. Why do you solely focus on Rhonda? Is it for her attention?" Curly didn't say or do anything. Curly was starting to think that this was a waste of time. He should've gone to ballet class instead of this.

Dr. Bliss leaned back into her chair, hoping she could draw Curly into speaking.

"How long have you loved her Curly?"

"As far as I can remember" he answered curtly. He stared out the window, wondering what his sweetheart was doing at this moment. Probably shopping for more outfits and accessories, or doing her hair and nails. He smiled to himself.

Dr. Bliss pressed on, "What was it that attracted you to her?"

Curly looked quizzically at her, "Well, she's rich, beautiful, popular. I love to just stare at her and watch her, and I just have a feeling that she and I were meant to be. I guess to sum it up…" Curly shrugged, "its love."

Dr. Bliss digested this for a moment.

"Curly seems almost the same to Rhonda as Helga does to Arnold. His justifications are almost the same as hers. But their situations, approaches, and relationships with their crushes are almost polar opposites." She noticed that Curly described Rhonda's appearance and standing, but he didn't mention her personality.

"What do you like about her personality Curly?"

Curly leaned back into the couch again, this time a little perplexed. Her personality? He never had learned about her. Well, he knew where she got her hair and nails done every Friday, he knew how many red sweaters were in her closet right now, and other things he had picked up over the years. But he didn't know what her favorite color was, or what she liked to do on the weekends, or anything else about her. He couldn't believe it.

Dr. Bliss watched as a few emotions flashed across Curly's face as she awaited his response. Confusion. A little guilt. But the most prominent was anger, as if she had just insulted him personally. She gasped when Curly jumped up and flipped over the table, his face scowling. He growled before yelling, "IT DOESN'T MATTER! I LOVE HER AND SOME DAY SHE WILL LOVE ME AS WELL!" He stomped to the door, his hand rising to open it.

Dr. Bliss spoke calmly toward him, "Mr. Gammelthorpe, the session is not over."

"I don't care! So long doc!" He flung the door open and stepped outside, Dr. Bliss' voice echoing into the hallway.

"Mr. Gammelthorpe, I will allow you to leave, but I don't want to see you harassing Ms. Lloyd anymore, or your principal will hear about it."

She heard no reply, but made a note to talk to Ms. Rhonda Wellington Lloyd sometime as well. She wanted her side of this as well. She would also keep an eye on Mr. Gammelthorpe in the future, because he was a potential danger to himself and others. The slightest question or predicament might cause him to react in a way that could hurt others. She sighed to herself.

It had certainly been an… interesting session.


	19. Ancient Tale

**Challenge 19: Ancient Tale**

Father and I enter the bedroom, my glasses slightly sliding off of my face. I push them up as I lie down in my simple bed, a mattress with a blanket and pillow. Simple, and yet I could not help but be satisfied with it. It used to be my father's when he was a child as well, so I feel honored to be using his old bed. I lay my glasses on the table by my bonsai tree as he tucks me in.

Father leans down and kisses my forehead. He rises and turns to leave.

"Father…" I call to him. He turns around and smiles.

"Yes Phoebe?"

"Can you read me a bedtime story?"

He smiles and shakes his head.

"But you're almost 7 years old. Aren't you getting a little too old for a bedtime story?"

"But I get scared and can't sleep without one" I say as I pull the blankets up, my eyes dashing around to shadows and nightmares that my mind was making in my imagination.

Father shakes his head and walks to my bed, sitting on the other end of my bed.

"Well, what story would you like then?" he asks.

"Tell me the one about the sparrow again."

"Again?" sighs Father as he lays down next to me.

"It's my favorite."

He chuckles, "All right."

I bounce up and down. "Oh joy! Oh rapture! Thank you Father!" I hug his neck and then lay down again.

He pulls me closer and begins his tale.

"Once upon a time, there lived a poor old man with his arrogant and avaricious wife…"

"What is avaricious Father?" I interrupted. Father gave me a disapproving look at my interruption. "Sorry Father." I looked down in shame as he answered.

"It means greedy. Please don't interrupt."

I nodded as Father continued his story.

* * *

"The old man was honest and kind, but his wife was not. One morning, the old man went into the mountains to cut timber and saw an injured sparrow crying out for help.

Feeling sorry for the bird, the man took it back to his home and fed it some rice to try to help it recover. When his wife found out about the bird, she became annoyed that he would waste precious food on such an insignificant creature. The old man, however, continued caring for the bird.

One day the man had to return to the mountains. He left the bird in the care of the old woman, who had no intention of feeding it. After her husband left, she went out fishing. While she was gone, the sparrow got into some starch that was left out and eventually ate all of it. When the old woman returned and found that the sparrow had eaten all the starch, she became so angry that she scared the bird and sent it flying back into the mountains.

When the old man found out about what his wife had done, he went searching for the bird in the mountains. He eventually found his way into a bamboo grove where the sparrow lived. A multitude of sparrows greeted him and led him to his friend. The sparrows brought him food, sang, and danced for him.

When it came time for the man to leave, the sparrow presented him with a choice of a large basket or a small basket as a present. Being an old man, he chose the small basket because he thought it would be the lightest. When he arrived home, he opened the basket and discovered a large amount of treasure inside. The wife, learning of the existence of a larger basket, scolded the man for not choosing the larger basket and ran to the grove in the hope of getting more treasure for herself. She found the larger basket and stole it from the sparrow.

Greed consumed her as she traveled back home, and soon she could not resist opening the basket any longer. To her surprise, the box was full of snakes, spiders, and demons. They startled her so much that she renounced of her greed and reconciled with the sparrow and her husband.

And they lived happily ever after on the treasure the kind sparrow had given them."

Kyo looked down at his daughter, sound asleep against his shoulder. He smiled and lightly kissed her head. He lightly took her off of him and he rose, trying to leave his little sparrow in her nest.

He silently tip-toed to the door, checking out of the corner of his eye to see Phoebe laying so sweetly in her bed. He opened the door and closed it, leaving Phoebe to dream in peace.

**This isn't the original version of the story, I changed it a little to suit the fact that Phoebe's so young in this story. The story is called Shita-kiri Suzume, so enjoy it if you look it up for the original.**


	20. Rough Hands

**Two-thirds done! :D I can't believe I'm almost done. I hope to have more challenges up before long, as I am starting school before too long. So I won't be able to write very often, so here's hoping that I finish before then. *Raises glass***

**Enjoy and review please!**

**Challenge 20: Rough Hands**

Ernie sighed, his legs dangling off the edge of his chair in his room. Above his desk was his old hammer, sitting in a glass case. Untouched for years and untouched by time. He had long ago hung up his hammer and wrecking balls in the demolition business, retiring at a good age. He looked up at the towers and towers of bricks, almost every square inch of the apartment covered by each one. The only available space left was saved so he could still maneuver around the room. Each brick was like an old friend, a reminder of each successful demolition.

A memory rested in every brick. Every brick was good for Ernie since he no longer could remember most of them anymore. Age had robbed Ernie of his memories. He got out of the chair and circled the desk to the nearest brick tower, his eyes grazing over the stack of rock. His hands, rough from the years of building and destroying buildings, slid almost longingly over the plaques. Forever engraved with names he no longer knew. No name in the tower rang out to Ernie, none stood out to him.

He walked to the next tower, staring with intense concentration on each name he could see. He growled in frustration as his mind remained blank of each brick. Each was in his opinion a masterpiece, a canvas decorated with brilliant art. He knew that he had been the cause of these pieces of history, the dust and debris that would've remained of the old place afterwards was his signature.

His hands balled into fists and slammed into the middle of the stack, shaking the bricks. The brick he had hit broke and crumpled into dust at his feet, causing the entire tower to fall to the ground around Ernie. He covered his nose and mouth, not daring to breathe as the bricks knocked into more bricks, causing them to shake and fall as well as the original buildings they came from. He struggled to reach his bedroom, hoping to open a window to allow the growing cloud of suffocation to escape.

He reached the room while the continuous banging and crashing echoed around the apartment. He threw open his window, fresh air almost instantly relieving him of the debris. Coughing slightly, he cautiously inspected the room for damage.

The only bricks intact were at the bottom, and even those were broken by the shattered fragments of their counterparts above and around them. The floor was almost destroyed, and his desk was unrecognizable from the destruction. His hammer lay on the floor nearby. One of the bricks must have hit the case and caused it to shatter.

Ernie picked up the hammer, the weight of it familiar to him. He picked up a shattered remain of a brick, inspecting the piece. He didn't realize that he was on the verge of tears as he stared at the rough surface. He slowly closed his hand and crushed the remainder of the brick in his hand. He then raised the hammer over his head and smashed the remains of another brick.

He continued to demolish the rest of the bricks, crying silently with each new strike. They didn't matter anymore, since he didn't know what they were originally or where they came from. They only resembled his recollections now; broken, worn, and out of his grasp.

He stopped for a moment and analyzed the room. Now all the bricks were gone. There was only one thing left to demolish. So Ernie Potts raised the hammer one last time, and silence fell as the hammer and owner fell to the floor.


	21. What Can You See

**Challenge 21: What Can You See?**

Arnold heard a knock on the door to his room, knowing who it exactly was. He readied his papers and said, "Come in." The door opened to see Helga come in, a backpack over her shoulders. He had asked her to come to his house for some studying, but he had other plans besides studying. Helga closed the door to give them some privacy and set down her bag on his bed, sitting on the edge next to it. Arnold smiled, always happy to see her, but knowing she too would be beside herself after their 'study time'.

"Hey football-head. Ready to get to work?" asked Helga.

"You know it Helga," answered Arnold. "Can I ask a favor though?"

"Sure Arnold, what do you need?" asked Helga

"Could you help me out with my college Psychology homework really quick?" asked Arnold. He even gave a kiss to her cheek to encourage her.

Helga blushed, "Uhhhh… ss… sssure."

Arnold grabbed his papers on his desk and turned back to Helga, showing her the first one. Helga stared at the paper, confused for some reason. Arnold was holding an inkblot, and it looked suspiciously like a flower.

"I need you to tell me what it looks like to you and I will write down the results, then you have to tell me what all three make you think about," explained Arnold. Helga looked skeptically at him, but decided to play along. Maybe it was just a coincidence it was a flower.

"Well football-head, it looks like a flower," said Helga. Arnold nodded, and then removed the inkblot, only to replace it with another one. Now Helga knew something was up, as this one looked like a heart. She raised an eyebrow and looked up at Arnold, who smiled that smile she loved, which only further raised her suspicions of what he might be doing.

"What can you see Helga?" asked Arnold very innocently. Helga shook her head, smiling greatly at his little game. She sighed in false exasperation and exclaimed, "I guess it looks like… maybe a heart." She did her best to look frustrated with Arnold, but it only made him laugh. He removed the card and showed the last card, which looked like a ring. Helga heart jumped into her throat as she saw the image on the paper. She had not expected this to come up.

She stuttered, "A… a… a ring, I guess. It looks a little like a ring." But she couldn't hide her bewilderment at this last inkblot. She then noticed Arnold's face, or rather the expression on his face. It was the face she had always caught him in when he was daydreaming, and often he daydreamed about her now as he had revealed, but he continued to look at her like that.

"Well Helga? What do these make you think of?" asked Arnold almost dreamily. Helga closed her mouth, knowing of a few ways this was going.

She slid closer to the edge of the bed and asked, "I think a better question would be what YOU think of when you see them, Arnold?"

Arnold looked at the first two, each for no longer than a second, but the last he stared at for a little longer. He was actually steeling his nerves for what he was about to do. Helga noticed his hesitation on the last picture.

"Well Helga, they make me think of… you and I," answered Arnold. He set down the pictures and walked to Helga, his eyes never leaving her own. "You and I together, from when we were teenagers up until now. But now I have just one more question for you Helga." Arnold grabbed her hand in one of his and put the other into his pocket. Helga gasped, seeing but not believing that Arnold, her boyfriend, first and only crush, was kneeling in front of her. Breathless, she could only watch as Arnold pulled out a box, a box that was a magenta color and was quite small.

Arnold pulled the box forward and opened it with a flick of his wrist, a bright, large pink diamond ring set in the middle of the box with a small pink bow around the ring. Arnold brought the ring forward into full view of Helga, her eyes bulged to the size of dinner plates as she stared at the ring. She noticed it was crafted to almost look like a flower, a beautiful pink flower.

"Helga Geraldine Pataki, we have been together for so long, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. You are the only woman I would ever want in my life. Will you…"

Arnold didn't finish his question, because at that moment Helga had sprung forward and kissed him on his lips, driving them back onto the floor of the bedroom. They stayed like that for so long, they both became breathless and reluctantly they pulled away.

Helga looked into Arnold's eyes and whispered, "Yes." She then kissed him very quickly and then opened the box still in his hand. She picked up the ring and Arnold grabbed it, placing it on her finger. Tears began to roll down Helga's face as she stared into the diamond. She set down her hand and kissed Arnold again, the homework completely forgotten.


	22. Fairy Eyed Child

**Challenge 22: Fairy-Eyed Child**

Sheena picked a flower, a beautiful butterfly perched on one of the pedals of the daisy. She carefully brought it closer to her and the butterfly flew on top of her nose, tickling the girl and making her giggle. Her parents watched her a few feet away, smiling at the young girl as she watched the butterfly crawl along her finger. The butterfly flew away, making Sheena wave good-bye to her new friend. She picked another flower, and then another, and even more, collecting a small bouquet of daisies. After gathering her flowers, she ran excitedly to her parents and gave the flowers to them.

"Mommy, Daddy, I found some flowers."

"Oh sweetie," purred her mother as she took the flowers, "they're so pretty."

"Almost as pretty as you are, honey," added her father with a kiss to her head. Sheena smiled at them and ran off to play some more in the flowers when she heard a cry. She turned her head and saw a little boy crying. She carefully approached behind him and patted his shoulder, making jump in surprise. He turned around and stared at Sheena, his crying stopped.

"Hi. I'm Sheena," said the little girl. She smiled at the boy, who wiped his face on his shirt. "Are you okay?"

The boy shyly nodded his head, shifting in the grass and flowers. Sheena's attention shifted to his body and saw his legs, covered in bandages from bruises and cuts. A red bruise was forming on his knee, but when the boy saw her notice it, he shifted again and covered it. Sheena knelt down and uncovered his hand, looking carefully at the bruise. She pulled out a bandage from her dress pocket, tore it open, and placed the band aid on the bruise. The boy stared in amazement at her.

"My aunt Shelley is a nurse, so she has me carry a few band aids around everywhere in case I get hurt." Sheena bent down and kissed the boys knee, making him blush darkly. "Does it feel better now?"

The boy nodded as he looked away from her. Sheena reached out her hand and pulled the boy up, making him smile.

"What's your name?" asked Sheena.

"Eugene," answered the boy. He looked at his hand still in Sheena's, and then pulled it out hastily.

"You're kind of cute, Eugene," said Sheena. Eugene blushed even more darkly, which only made him cuter to Sheena. She giggled and grabbed his hand again. Eugene looked into her eyes and saw a twinkle of fun in them, somehow making him feel brave. "Want to go play?"

Eugene nodded his head, "Okay. Thank you for the band aid."

Sheena giggled, "You're welcome. Come on, I know an awesome tree we could climb. You can see everything from the top of it."

Sheena didn't see Eugene gulp in fear, but the girl dragged him forward. Neither of the children saw Sheena's parents watch the whole scene, proud of Sheena for helping the boy and for playing with him.


	23. Sensation Of Loss

**This story is dedicated to those in the Twin Towers, Pentagon, United Airlines Flights 93 and 175, and American Airlines Flights 11 and 77 who never saw their loved ones again. You will forever be missed.**

**To the survivors of the attacks on the Twin Towers and Pentagon, who represent our will to survive even under extreme circumstances. You are our legacy.**

**To the rescuers who selflessly risked their lives to locate the fallen men, women, and survivors of the attacks. You are our heroes.**

**And to the families who lost someone, whether a brother, sister, mother, father, aunt, uncle, cousin, grandmother, or grandfather on September 11, 2001. Our prayers and thoughts go out to you on this day.**

**We will never forget.**

**Challenge 23: Sensation Of Loss**

Marty Green kneeled outside of Green Meats, a gentle breeze blowing upon him and some flowers he held. He was looking at the names etched into the stone outside of his door, baring his and his two brother's names, Benji and Dave. His eyes were bloodshot and he had bags under them, showing his lack of sleep. He couldn't sleep last night, the memories of that day reoccurring in his mind. He opened the door to the shop as his mind wandered off.

_The day had started off as ordinary as any other. Marty had woken up at 7:00 am as he did every day. He walked to his shop, the sun just rising over the horizon to signal another day. He entered and turned the key, a lock clicking as he opened the door. He entered the back of the shop and changed into his uniform, placing his paper hat on top of his head. He took out some meat from the freezer and placed the different cuts in the display case for the customers to see._

_When he was done he swept the floor and flipped the sign on the door from closed to open. He stood behind the counter and patiently waited for the first customer to arrive. After a while, he ran to the back and checked the time. The clock said 8:30. He went back to the front of the shop and continued to wait. He saw a few kids pass his shop on their way to school, laughing loudly and talking. One of them was his apprentice, Harold. Mr. Green smiled, knowing how Harold probably couldn't wait to work this evening. Mr. Green chuckled to himself as he got up and went into his office in the back. He sat down in a chair and grabbed yesterday's newspaper, shifting through the news for something he might not have seen._

_The phone rang. Mr. Green set down the newspaper and got up, picking up the phone._

"_Hello, Green Meats. This is Marty."_

"_Marty, it's Dave."_

_Mr. Green gasped. He hadn't talked to Dave for years. What was he calling now for?_

"_Hey Dave, what are you calling me for?" questioned Mr. Green_

"_Marty... I'm not sure how to say this. But this morning, New York City was attacked. You remember what Benji does, right?"_

_Marty stood, paralyzed. Benji was a business man who sold stocks on Wall Street. His main office was located in the World Trade Center._

"_Yeah," choked out Marty._

"_Marty… there has been an… incident. The World Trade Center has been attacked by two planes."_

_Marty stood stunned, barely holding the phone to his ear as he struggled to breathe. The idea of Benji hurt, or even killed, was unbearable. He pulled out his handkerchief from his pocket._

"_Dave, is he all right?" asked Marty tearfully._

"_I can't get a hold of him. I'll keep you updated though. I just wanted to let you know," finished Dave. Marty dropped the phone, hearing but not registering the sound of it hitting the floor._

_Benji could be dead. He hadn't seen him in years. He started to cry as Dave's call began to register. But he still didn't understand. How could two planes hit the World Trade Center? How would they get a hold of them? Did anyone else know about the attacks? There were just too many questions, and Marty sat down in his chair blowing his nose, not knowing what to do._

Marty sighed as he stood at his desk, looking at the phone where that fateful call had been made. Even after the attack, he still felt the loss of his brother on that day. And every day since then, he had left flowers in his office for Benji, to remember him. Every night before this day, he would toss and turn at the memory of his brother and how he must have died in the attack. How he would never be able to tell him how much he had missed and loved his older brother.

Marty set the flowers down and put his face in his hands, sadness overwhelming him. He lifted his face and stood up, walking to the phone. He picked it up and dialed a number. A number he now knew by heart.

"Hello," answered Dave.

"Hey Dave. How's it going?" asked Marty.

"I'm doing fine. How are you Marty?" reciprocated Dave.

"I'm doing all right. Rough night though," answered Marty.

Marty and Dave began to chat, passing away the time as they talked. Marty didn't have anything to really say, he just wanted to hear Dave, to let him know how much he meant to him. The conversation would inevitably turn to Benji and that September day. But for now, Marty just wanted to talk to Dave.


	24. Sweet Nothings

**Alright, I already have caved and done a sweet, lovey-dovey marriage challenge, so I'm trying something different here. Hopefully I don't screw it up.**

**This is the letter sent to Arnold from Helga started in my first prompt, Ripped Apart.**

**Challenge 24: Sweet Nothings**

Dear Arnold,

All your whispers of sweet nothings in my ear

Could not prevent or cure the powerful pain.

I experienced the cold shiver of fear

As you vanished into falling rain.

I chased you far, but it was in vain.

The rain dripped heavily from my clothes and hair,

My eyes teared up, the crack in my voice was plain

I wanted to show you that I did care.

But as I sit here in my restful desk chair

Writing this letter from the bottom of my heart

I find I cannot breathe, this lack of air

Must be because my heart has been ripped apart.

But I know someday you will return

And my life will cease to take such an ill turn.

My father, Bob, lost it all to greediness.

He declared bankruptcy and sold his stores.

He has developed a very deadly sickness,

He can't move; the painkillers don't work anymore.

Mom went to the hospital, she fainted to the floor.

She still is stuck to the open end of a bottle

Drunk all day and night, she only sleeps and snores

So much for being a daughter's role model.

When you left, Hillwood became terrible.

We live on our food stamps, which Miriam forgets

Who I would kill just for a big waffle,

Why do I suffer from my dumb parents regrets?

I wish you came home, everything wouldn't be wacky.

Sincerely, Helga Geraldine Pataki


End file.
